Search results for 'tag:Pronunciation tag:Clauses' matching tags 'Pronunciation' and 'Clauses'

Re: It did "used" or "use"

CalifJim — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 18:59:14 GMT

Whenever there's a did (or didn't) in the same clause, drop the d of used. The pronunciation remains the same, since the d in the idiom used to is silent anyway.

Did he use to be rich?

I didn't use to think anyone could do that until I saw it for myself.

We didn't realize that there used to be a mall there. (not in the same clause)

Re: What joo mean?

Kooyeen — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 16:29:19 GMT

Not afraid of taking risks? I am afraid! I'm afraid to make mistakes and then keep on making them. It's difficult to get rid of certain mistakes you've been making for a long time.
I knew it had to be "stop learning", but it slipped out, ooops. Anyway, thanks for pointing it out, I think that helps me avoid mistakes in the future.

CalifJim wrote:
purest forms of English pronunciation: Purest forms? Wrong, I'd say, very often wrong.
Now, Kooyeen, before you get yourself worked up into a dither, read it again. Note that there is no comma before where. It's a restrictive clause. Does that help?

Oh, yes, I think I didn't notice it was restrictive. But I think when I posted I only wanted to give a general opinion... you know, if teachers here taught "pure forms", it would already be enough compared to what they actually teach!

Re: What joo mean?

CalifJim — Sat, 25 Aug 2007 07:19:31 GMT

purest forms of English pronunciation: Purest forms? Wrong, I'd say, very often wrong.

Now, Kooyeen, before you get yourself worked up into a dither, read it again. Note that there is no comma before where. It's a restrictive clause. Does that help?

CJ

Re: Can - Can't

CalifJim — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 02:42:42 GMT

This is a particularly rough one!

can has just an n (of course), but it's a full n. can't has an n that is terminated abruptly by an unreleased t (and it may even include a glottal stop for some speakers) which gives the impression of the beginning of a t (but not the end). Even the a seems shorter in can't than in can.

Releasing the t to avoid ambiguity is fine, but that's unnecessary if you cut off the n just right. (Easier said than done, right? )

don't and won't have the same termination, but there's no chance of ambiguity there (no word don or won with nearly the same pronunciation).

CJ

P.S. In can't see it, you should have your Italian zz (English ts). I canzzi it (where zzi is Italian!). But between n and s a sycophantic t will almost automatically appear anyway, just because of how the articulatory organs have to move to produce that transition.

P.S. The example you use in the set-up could be better. We'd more likely say these (raising the negation into the main clause):

I think you can. I don't think you can.

But no matter -- I get your point.

Re: what ya / what do ya

Anna242 — Fri, 29 Sep 2006 11:21:15 GMT

Mister Micawber wrote:

Song lyrics are an unending violation of English, but this is not one-- the phrase, if you have transcribed it accurately, represents the pronunciation of what you see, which is the noun-clause object of tell in the sentence: When you visit me, tell me what you see.

so it can be so but with you instead of ya?

Re: what ya / what do ya

Mister Micawber — Fri, 29 Sep 2006 10:42:13 GMT

Song lyrics are an unending violation of English, but this is not one-- the phrase, if you have transcribed it accurately, represents the pronunciation of what you see, which is the noun-clause object of tell in the sentence: When you visit me, tell me what you see.

Re: Which one is right or better?

Mister Micawber — Sun, 02 Apr 2006 07:17:18 GMT

1-- No; but I might place it into apposition by inserting a comma after attorney.

2-- From Merriam-Webster's online:

Main Entry:senÂ·tenÂ·tial
Pronunciation:sen-'ten(t)-sh&l
Function:adjective
1 : of or relating to a sentence <a relative clause with a sentential antecedent>

Re: has,had,have

Phuongninhbao — Fri, 31 Mar 2006 15:31:31 GMT

Modal verb: I have to study Grammar all the time.

Present perfect: I have been in Dalat for twenty years. She has been..........

Present perfect continuous: I have been eating She has been eating.

Causative: I have my car serviced

If -clause; If I have time, I'll go with you

If I had time , I would go with you

If I had gone by car, I would have saved time

Bare infinitive: Let's have a look about your translation

Infinitive: I try to have a good pronunciation

Imperative; Have a nice day

And a lot of kinds of sentences such as It's isn't necessary that she have a lot of advices to him,. you needn't have gone to the office yesterday.....

Phuong ninh

Re: It didn't have to mean that.

davkett — Tue, 06 Sep 2005 13:18:21 GMT

Taka,

This may prove to be another one of those long threads for which your posts are celebrated. Let me be the first to stick my foot in my mouth.

'That didn't have to mean that' would be a second-rate possibility, with the obvious problem of the same word referring to two different antecedents: 1) Rachel's decision 'to be a scientist', and 2) 'giving up writing'.

'That didn't have to mean it' is clearly odd to my ears, though the explanation for why does not come easily for me, having no other credentials than those of a 'native speaker'.

If one were speaking this phrase, the least one would have to do is accent the pronunciation of the word 'it'. Still, 'that' -as in 'that/this'- always seems to point to the farther (latter) position. So, in the context of the target sentence, the latter position is the second clause. 'It' is neutral in this pointing aspect.

Re: Little understanding of reported speech.

munchun2004 — Fri, 21 Jan 2005 23:18:14 GMT

Thank you JTT, for your replya and your special advice on the English system we have. I am not a native speaker so I have been trying quite hard just to learn how English speaker think when they try to communicate with a Laguage full with rules. Sometimes I just don't get it that in such a short time they could produces so many different pronunciation and rules that occur in on long sentence. I just dont how I should follow them but to try to learn English from the mistake by talking as much as I can with the native speaker.

I think one of the reason I can speak English as fluent as the native speaker is because I have to think twice for the rules of grammar before I can speak out an English statement in a conversation.

I started reading the threads you wrote in the forum after getting the "different" answers you provided. I think you got a point that there are many special cases in English where a person can only learn the essense of English in daily conversation, not from book.

I don't know if you would do this, but could you list out the rules that you would use when you speak with other people about things you saw or heard in the past. Following is my own rules that I got from all the questions I have asked. I hope you could correct them for me.

Rule 1: Use the present tense if what you heard is still related to current situation or yet to come.
Ex: I heard from Jams last week that you are going to join the street race tomorrow.
Ex: I promised him I would finish the job before I go home. (Because of different task in time)
Ex: At first we were hesitate to ask you but finally we decided to tell you that we are against the act too.

Rule 2: Speakers have the choice to choose which tense they want to use (present tense or past tense) if what they heard still relate to current situation.
Ex: I saw from the TV commercial yesterday where it said your company is offering a special deal for all the retailers regardless of how small the retailers are.

Rule 3: If what you learned or found in the past still holds true for you, especially the thing you learned is being put in a clause, you can use the present tense to describe your dicovery.
Ex: Today at school, teacher taught us how to give a proper shut down to our computers if the computers hang suddenly.
Ex: Once I was in Hong Kong with this new friend of mine. While we were in the bar, he told me that if you meet the girl you like, you better introduce yourself to her. He said that if you ask, you have fifty-fifty chance, but if you don't, you don't have a chance.
Ex: My grandpa used to tell me that a good name is what a man can leave behind for over a hundred year. (!!!Do I have to strictly put the sentence in past tense if I am doubtful what my grandpa told me was true? That's why I always wander on which tense I should use in this dilemma of mine.)

Rule 4: There are special cases where you have to ignore the grammar rules from time to time.
Ex:
Marcus: Did you know that people here are suffering from a special disease called the skin painter?
Darrel: I did know that people here are(were also can be used) suffering from the disease. That is why I am here.
Ex: I was wondering if you want to go to theather with me tonight.
Ex: I was just thinking why this lamp post is being put here instead of the darker spot over there. (I am not sure if 'is' could be used instead of 'was'. Could you correct this for me?)

Rules 5: You can use present tense or past tense when you describe scene or story of a movie. This rules also stands for book and websites content.
Ex: I saw the movie last night. It was a movie about how a orphan becomes a greatman through years of struggle.
Ex: I still remember I screamed out as loud as I could when I saw the ghost suddenly turn it head towards the serial killer after the killer has just murdered a new victim. It was horrible.
Ex: I visited a website last week where it says there are currently 5 million people out of job. I think I might be as well as one of them. (!!!I am not sure if I can use present tense here because web contents tend to be changed from time to time. Should I use present tense?)

I think above are the 5 rules of mine that I would use from now on when I talk to other people. If anyone has anything to add to my rules, please write them down in this forum. I am just wondering if JTT has his own rules towards that English grammar. I really hope I could see a totally different view point from JTT.